The Spa (TV series)
| The Spa | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Derren Litten |
| Written by | Derren Litten |
| Directed by | Sandy Johnson |
| Starring | Rebecca Front Derren Litten Tim Healy Debbie Chazen Nadine Marshall Niky Wardley Vilma Hollingbery Chris Geere Ramin Karimloo Cheryl Fergison Frances Barber |
| Composer | Howard Goodall |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30mins (inc. adverts) |
| Production company | Tiger Aspect Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Sky Living |
| Release | 7 February – 27 December 2013 |
The Spa is a sitcom created, written and starring Derren Litten. It is set in a health spa in Hertfordshire and follows the daily goings-on of the business. The first series consisted of seven episodes and aired between February and March 2013. A New Year Special concluded the series on 27 December 2013.
Background
The Spa follows the daily running of a health club where a run in with the staff can be deadly. The spa is run by bossy manageress Alison Crabbe, who is confident she can turn the spa into a successful business, despite a series of unfortunate accidents and terrible customer service. Alison is joined by an eccentric and inept group of employees who find themselves in strange and bizarre situations as a matter of routine.
Main characters
- Alison Crabbe (Rebecca Front) – The bolshy, staff and customer-hating manager of The Spa.
- Marcus Wells (Derren Litten) – The wheelchair-bound aerobics instructor.
- Eric Lofthouse (Tim Healy) – The Spa's well-endowed and forgetful handyman.
- Davina Stewart (Debbie Chazen) – The Spa's complementary physio and spiritual therapist.
- Veronica (Vron) Hendry (Nadine Marshall) – The hyper-fit and hyper-aggressive weights instructor, who is not opposed to conning patrons out of money.
- Sally Skinner (Niky Wardley) – Well-meaning but dim receptionist.
- Rose Cearney (Vilma Hollingbery) – The elderly and suicidal cleaner.
- Bolek (Chris Geere) – Newly hired Polish chef at The Spa, formerly a plumber.
- Costas Kleovolou (Ramin Karimloo) – His family own The Spa and his wealth has been handed on a plate
- Bergita Wylde (Cheryl Fergison) – The often-insulted guest at The Spa, who under hypnotherapy is revealed to possibly be the reincarnation of Hitler.
- Virginia (Ginny) Trench (Frances Barber) – Alison's best friend.
- Stephanie (Stephen) (Tony Maudsley) - Marcus's blind date and "lover".
Episodes
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Ratings[1] | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "High Anxiety" | Sandy Johnson | Derren Litten | 532,000 | 7 February 2013 | |
|
It's a typically abnormal day at The Spa as Rose goes to great heights to get noticed and Sally suffers the consequences of upsetting fussy regular Ms Begita Wylde. | ||||||
| 2 | "No Place Like Home" | Sandy Johnson | Derren Litten | 378,000 | 14 February 2013 | |
|
Alison secretly moves into the health centre when her boiler at home breaks down, but it's far from a relaxing stay. | ||||||
| 3 | "A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose" | Sandy Johnson | Derren Litten | 320,000 | 21 February 2013 | |
|
Marcus suspects his boss is to blame for his injury and although Alison has tried to put him off the scent, he's on the hunt for evidence. | ||||||
| 4 | "Love Is A Losing Game" | Sandy Johnson | Derren Litten | 318,000 | 28 February 2013 | |
|
Peter Kelly, a swindler from Alison's past, uses his smooth-yet-slimy talking gets the manageress on board with his latest scheme to break into the PR world. | ||||||
| 5 | "Wedding Belles" | Sandy Johnson | Derren Litten | 241,000 | 7 March 2013 | |
|
Both wedding and alarm bells sound as manageress Alison gets her registrar licence. | ||||||
| 6 | "Mr Right" | Sandy Johnson | Derren Litten | 255,000 | 14 March 2013 | |
|
Davina confides in Vron about her crush on Marcus, only to receive some surprising information in return. Meanwhile Alison is looking for love. | ||||||
| 7 | "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" | Sandy Johnson | Derren Litten | 225,000 | 21 March 2013 | |
|
The first series of the comedy concludes with Marcus and Alison's long-awaited showdown. Chesney Hawkes guest stars. | ||||||
| 8 | "Strangers In The Night" | Sandy Johnson | Derren Litten | Under 121,000 | 27 December 2013 | |
|
Its New Year's Eve and staff are hoping to be dismissed early. There's no such luck, unfortunately, due to a freak snow storm. | ||||||
DVD release
The complete first seven episodes of the series was released onto DVD on 25 March 2013.
References
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 5 August 2013.